Jonlhing Lom Group

This is a five-member group and they called themselves “Jonlhing Lom” group. They live in the northeastern part of India in the state of Manipur. Jonlhing, according to the Kuki folk tale, was a very beautiful girl. Her beauty spread far and wide and people from different and far off places came to
see and admire her beauty. Her beauty was compared with the brightness of the sun and she was adored by all. Speaking of which, the group members truly represent the beauty and personality of “Jonlhing” in their work because they work tirelessly and continually, hoping to bring change to
their life and the lives of many people around them.

The profiled member is Neilhing who is on the extreme left of the picture with her right hand raised. She is 32 years of age and blessed with two sons and two daughters. They are a happy family and her husband has his own local electronics repair workshop in the village. He repairs all kinds of electronic gadgets in the village like cell phones, radios, TVs and tape recorders. But the money that he receives from the workshop is not enough to run the house and pay for the children's monthly school fees. So, Neilhing decided to open a tailoring shop in the village where she knits trousers, shirts and school uniforms. But still, this job is not enough to meet the expenses of the family, because she is able to get only a meager income from the tailoring shop.

She said that with the loan from KIVA, she will be able to buy more fabric for garments so that she can knit more and sell more. She also said that in this way, she can take more orders in advance and doesn’t have to wait for the customers to go to the nearest town to get the fabric. This is also going to save a lot of time and money for the villagers and at the same time, people from the nearby villages will come to get the garments from her. In this way, she will earn more and save more for her family.

She said that over the next 10 years, she wishes to buy a paddy field of her own where she can grow wheat, grain and some cash crops in the field. Not only that, she wishes to continue knitting and expand her tailoring shop. The other group members are engaged in many other income-
generating activities like raising piglets for sale, and opening shops in different location within the village.

She thanks KIVA for offering loans. The group members said that God has answered their prayers and for that reason, they all can fulfill what they had been dreaming of. They also thank WSDS for their endless support, and hope that KIVA and WSDS will continue to render their support in the years to come.

Additional Information

More information about this loan

This loan is part of WSDS's effort to reach some of the most underserved parts of India's troubled northeast region, where there is very poor penetration of both formal and informal financial services. By supporting this loan, you are enabling access to finance for women living in some of India's most remote areas.

Important note about this loan

Due to Indian government regulations, if you fund this loan, you will not be repaid for at least 3 years. This borrower will likely repay your loan much sooner than that, in which case, the Field Partner may re-loan your funds to help other local borrowers. We want you to be aware of this minimum 3-year waiting period and the associated risks before making a loan to Indian borrowers on Kiva. Learn More >

About WSDS-InitiateWSDS-Initiate is an inclusive nonprofit that works with women across all tribes and minority communities in Manipur, located in the remote northeast region of India. Most organizations concentrate their work in the plains region of Manipur, but WSDS is among the very few organizations serving women in the isolated hills. Political unrest and frequent economic blockades in the area make it very difficult to provide services, resulting in Manipur having the lowest penetration of financial services in the country.

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.